Loving You is Worth the Wait
by dramalove32
Summary: An in-depth look at the pivotal moments in Amy and Sheldon's relationship. Heavy Shamy. Spoilers! {I do not own the Big Bang Theory.}
1. The Locomotive Manipulation

**WARNING! SPOILER ALERT!**

~The Locomotive Manipulation~

Time has really flown this year. Before Amy knows it, another Valentine's Day has rolled around. And this year, she's determined to make it romantic. She's already heard of Leonard's cute Lakers tickets in a jewelry box gift, and Howard's plan to take Bernadette to a beautiful bed and breakfast. Both couples are very tactful to keep talk of plans about their days to a minimum, knowing that a reminder of the romance her life is lacking will upset her. But that can't quiet the gnawing fear eating at her heart that despite all the progress she'd thought they made, Sheldon would never be ready for a real relationship.

No matter how true it is, Amy can't stand the group's banter about their relationship. So knowing the improbability of Sheldon taking the initiative and planning anything fancier than sitting on the couch with takeout, she takes the reigns. She'll have a nice Valentine's Day if it kills her.

Amy is fully aware that the only way she will get Sheldon to do anything remotely romantic is making it appeal to him. That leaves only a few choices. Sci-fi, science, and trains. There is no way she is letting sci-fi near her Valentine's Day, and science, although an important part of both of their lives, is incredibly unromantic. That leaves trains.

It is easier than you'd think to find an authentic train restaurant near a bed and breakfast. It doesn't take much to get Bernadette agree to join them. Amy knows Sheldon won't go unless accompanied by another couple, so they won't have to interact with strangers. Bernadette can tell this is important to her, so it's worth a slight change of plans.

Amy really covers all the bases. She makes sure to cover every scenario that would make Sheldon refuse her plan. Sure, she feels slightly bad using trains as an excuse to have the Valentines Day of her dreams, but she deserves this. So without too much guilt, she convinces Sheldon to go.

She really should have counted on his absolute fascination with the train. She should've known that he would annoy the waiter with countless questions. What she couldn't have predicted was the other train enthusiast who was more than happy to answer. Of course, the one time he decided to make a friend was in the middle of their date.

Watching him and Train Guy hit it off is not what she was expected. Even in the lowest of her very low expectations, Sheldon was at least sitting at the table with her. She knows he's socially awkward, but she would've thought he at least had the decency to spend time with her and not completely ignore her in the favor of a guy who is currently choo-chooing.

Amy's heart feels like a lead pipe, heavy in her chest. Her worst fears not only confirmed, but fueled. Sheldon must not care about her. She thought the tin man was growing a heart, but she was wrong. Maybe a relationship is too much. She does love Sheldon, although she won't say it until he does, but his actions are asking her to bear a burden she doesn't know if she can carry anymore. Relationships have to be a equal, but she's the only one who's trying. Maybe all of her efforts were for nothing.

Thankfully, Bernadette gets up and sets the record straight. For a moment, it seems like she might have actually gotten through to Sheldon. Amy can see in his eyes that he truly understands that ignoring her was wrong. But it's just wishful thinking. Because just when he reclaims his spot next to her, he decides to invite his new friend to join them.

It doesn't help that Howard and Bernadette are showing a firsthand example of a beautiful relationship right next to her. Every sweet moment that they share is a reminder if what she is currently lacking. And the man that has the power to give that happiness to her is now answering questions about his train history. This is too much. This is all too much. It was supposed to be her Valentines Day. A day of impossible romance between her and Sheldon. It was her day to be the happy, and Sheldon threw it all away. He's a certifiable genius. Why isn't he smart enough to see how upset she is? How much she cares about him? As hard as it is to want to cut away the man that has been such a magnificent question mark for three whole years, she knows the time is coming. They can't stay like this forever. She obviously wants more out of this relationship than he does; she's known this since the beginning. But she hasn't seriously questioned before whether the anguish and desperation is worth it. She always pulled through, picturing the light at the end of the long, long tunnel, but she fears the blackness might stretch into eternity. There might be no reward at the end, that makes everything that she is going through worth the trouble. And if that's not there, she has to let go. No matter how painful it is.

So she throws a notch in their "perfect" day. She pulls him aside and makes the problem smaller than it really is. Because what she knows and he doesn't is that their whole relationship is riding on his response. But he takes her by surprise. He accuses her of manipulating him, and says that this weekend was more about her than it was about him. And she's shocked by how right he is. She can't accuse him of being selfish when she made Valentines Day, a joint holiday, all about her and what she wanted. So she admits she was looking for a little romance, waiting to hear his argument winning blow. But it doesn't come. Instead, a very un-Sheldon like air washes over him. He says he'll show her romance. He drinks wine angrily, looking to prove a point. He stares into her eyes, and the power she feels is enough to make her blink. The second the word kiss leaves his mouth, her heart flutters, and before she knows it, his mouth is knocking into hers.

At first it's forceful, him proving that he can give her romance. But slowly, surely, he melts into it, softening his lips and pressing into hers more gently. He lingers for what feels like eternity, his hands sliding to her waist. Amy's heart is screaming, and everyone moment of doubt washes away. He was moving forward. Slowly, sure, but he was moving. And now he's here, and he's touching her, and her entire body feels like it's on fire.

When they finally separate, she doesn't know what to say. He literally blew her away. She hears him saying something about a train car, and a banjo, and then the magic words: "Do you want to come with me?"

As they listen to a horrible nine fingered banjo player strumming away, Amy isn't aware of anything but the man next to her. This was the first time he ever initiated a kiss. The only other time, she was drunk, and it was all her. This was him. This was both of them. Baby steps are still steps, and she's confident that she wants to take the next steps of her life with Sheldon by her side. They're moving, and the tunnel is brightening already.

**Author's Note: Hello Big Bang Theory fandom! This is my first story for this show! I've wanted to for a while, but this is the first time I've followed through:) Please review! They make my day! I love feedback, good of bad! I hope you enjoyed this story!**


	2. The Date Night Variable

~The Date Night Variable~

Amy had already made a lot of compromises in their relationship. Arguably too many, but to be in an intimate relationship with Sheldon Cooper, you had to accept the fact that you are going to give more than you get back. Getting anything, anything at all for your efforts is rare.

Sure, at the beginning of their friendship, she hadn't been interested in romance. She had seen Sheldon as a brilliant and fascinating person that it was enjoyable to talk to. The thought of physical contact repulsed her. How things had changed... Two years, and already she was an entirely new person. Being in a relationship, even a one this strict and non-intimate, had brought her out of her shell. Friends like Penny and Bernadette and having a real boyfriend had awakened a fresh side of her that was eager and desperate for romance, for validation that she is loved.

That's why this year, on their two year anniversary, Amy wants a celebration. A _real_ celebration. Her definition of fancy, not Sheldon's. And she isn't taking no for an answer.

That's why when she sees Raj at their table, ready to join them, she is livid. One nice dinner. She hates eating on a couch, watching stupid sci-fi shows, but she makes exceptions almost every day. Because she knows that is what he enjoys. But one nice, civilized dinner just the two of them? Is that really too much to ask? Apparently it is. Because although she gives so much and gets so little, he obviously isn't willing to compromise even once.

So she drinks. A lot. It's something that the old her would never do. Amy Farrah Fowler two years ago sneered upon alcohol and it's tendency to blur judgment. But now, her life has become such a roller coaster of emotions that blurred lines aren't looking so awful anymore. There's a reason that she doesn't drink often, and that reason is because the gateway between her thoughts and the things she says out loud completely crumbles. She loses every barrier between the inside and the out, and soon she's making an idiot of herself voicing thoughts that should really stay in the safe boundaries of her mind. Telling Sheldon that he looks like a sexy praying mantid? Very true, but also a thought she would've died rather than spoken out loud. Her desperate need for affection bursts out from inside, and she needs to get Sheldon to notice her. So she unbuttons her blouse. "Time for dessert."

Amy is mortified the instant the words leave her lips. But she's curious. What if her putting herself out there more awakes a new side of Sheldon? He awoke the need for affection that she had always held deep inside. He must want to be loved, deep down somewhere? Maybe she could lead him. And as he opens his mouth to speak, she goes through all of the wonderful and exciting things he could say. So many great things could happen because of his next words. "But I already had cobbler."

She's done. She can't take this anymore. And she swallows every ounce of acceptance she had ever felt about his emotional distance, and lets it all tumble out. She tells him that she's leaving. She can't be ignored for another moment. It's too much to ask, even for Sheldon. Because how can she stay? How can she stay when he doesn't even want her to?

But then he tells her that he needs her. And she finally thought she had unearthed the vault of love that she knows is in there somewhere. Until he follows it up with "you're my ride."

There is no bouncing back from this. No matter how much she has grown to care about him, no matter how much she loves him, she can't go on. She was fine with doing most of the giving in their relationship, but she needs to get something back. He can't leave her on the edge of the cliff, with safety in sight but just out of her reach. And she's falling, falling hard, because she knows she is very well about to break up with the man she has spent the last two years waiting for. So she gives him an ultimatum. He needs to show her he loves her too. He needs to give her some sign that her affection is being received and returned. If she doesn't see right now that all of her effort hasn't been for naught, then it's too late. She has to go.

But he surprises her. He looks at her with a shadow of love in his gaze and says "When I look in your eyes, and you're looking back in mine, everything feels not quite normal. Because I feel stronger and weaker at the same time, I feel excited and at the same time terrified. The truth is I don't know what I feel, except I know what kind of man I want to be." And every fiber in her that was in anguish suddenly turns to joy. He does feel. He does love. And he has changed. They have changed together, and now they're growing side by side. Until she finds out that it was from Spider-Man. But it's okay. He had to feel those things in order to say them. She knows he meant it. She could tell by his eyes.

So they'll continue. They'll continue down this road, of love and pain and hope and fear. Sheldon Cooper is a hard but to crack, but she's gotten the farthest into his shell than anyone else. The road is long, but they'll get there eventually. And it will be beautiful.

**Author's Note: Hey guys! I'm skipping around here, as you can see. Enjoy the shamy fluffiness! Please review! Reviews make me happy and I update when I'm happy!**


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